es, representing the four greatest of
Nelson's battles, Trafalgar, St. Vincent, Aboukir, and Copenhagen. The
massive lions on the extended pedestal were designed by Sir Edwin
Landseer.

Of the other statues, that of George IV. is by Sir Francis Chantrey, and
was originally intended for the top of the Marble Arch, and that of
General Gordon was designed by Hamo Thorneycroft. Bronze blocks let into
the north wall of the square contain the measures of the secondary
standards of length, and were inserted here in 1876 by the Standards
Department of the Board of Trade. The Union Club and College of
Physicians are on the west side of the square. The latter was founded by
Dr. Linacre, physician to King Henry VIII.

The National Gallery was not designed as it now stands, but grew
gradually. The idea of a collection of national pictures began in 1824,
when the Angerstein Collection of thirty-eight pictures was purchased.
The building began in 1832, and was opened six years later, but there
were then only six rooms devoted to the national collection, the
remainder being used by the Royal Academy of Arts. The Academy, however,
betook itself to Burlington House in 1869, and subsequently the National
Gallery was enlarged, and is now well worthy of its name. The English
are taunted with not being an artistic nation; this may be, but they
recognise merit when they see it, and the national collection need fear
comparison with no other in the world. The sections of the gallery
include Italian schools, schools of the Netherlands and Germany,
Spanish, French, and British schools; in the last named the Turner
Collection claims two rooms.

St. Martin's Church was founded by Henry VIII., who disliked to see the
funerals of the inhabitants passing through Whitehall on their way to
St. Margaret's, Westminster, but there had probably been an
ecclesiastical building on or near this site from a very early date. In
1222 there was a controversy between the Bishop of London and the Dean
and Chapter of St. Paul's on the one hand and the Abbot and Canons of
Westminster on the other, as to the exemption of the chapel and convent
of the latter from the jurisdiction of the former. The matter was
settled in favour of Westminster. It is probable that this chapel was
for the use of the monks when they visited their convent garden.

In 1721 the old church was pulled down, and a new one built from the
designs of Gibbs the architect, whose bust stands in th